The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-04-02
BABIES TANNING LIONS.


Gardens at Antwerp-Nearly Caught by |
a Jaguar.
The old Roman legend tells how
Romulus and Remus, who built Rome,
were nursed by wolf when they were
babies. That might do very well in
legend-particularly as those babies
were supposed to have no mother to
care for them; but in real life most
mothers would as soon think of throw
ing their babies into the river as of Civ
ing them to wild beasts. And yet it has
more than once happened that wild
beasts which would have been danger
GUS to grown persons were perfectly
safe companions for very little children.
In the celebrated Geological Gardens
at Antwerp there is little baby boy,
scarcely able to walk yet, who is per-
mitted to go in among the lions, tigers
and leopards, and play with them as if
they were only ordinary pussy cats.
He has not tie slightest fear of them,
but pulls their tails and ears, and pokes
his little fingers in their eyes, us babies
will do, and they never do any worse
than move out of his way.
It's said to be a very pretty sight to see
that fair skinned, big blue-eyed baby
comfortably seated by the side of a
huge tiger, his little dimpled hand per-
haps pulling the tawny striped coat of
the monster. Itmay indeed be a pretty
sight, but it must need strong nerves to
enable one to look at it with any
pleasure, for most persons it will Sc M
hardly possible that the fierce creature
will not turn at any moment and tear
the innocent little baby to pieces.
The little fellow, however, has no
more fear of any of the savage beasts
in the menagerie than you would have
of ailap-dog; for he was born right there,
and has been among the animals all
his short life. Long before he could
walk he was carried to the cages, and
allowed to pat the tamest of the
animals, and before very long they
began to show such signs of pleasure
at his coming that in time they
became fast friends, and the keep
ers had no hesitation in putting the
baby in the cage with the trained
leopards, and afterwards with the lions
and tigers.
The leopards were trusted first be-
cause they are usually the mideSt-tem-
pered and most affectionate of the wild
animals. Instances are known of leop.
ards rescung their keepers from other
animals in the menagerie, and very
pretty story is told of one case when
through the fundamentally of cage
of leopards a man and his baby cir
were saved from the attack of jaguar
one of the most untamable of animals
The man travelled with the menag
erie and its attached circus as a gym
mast in the summer, but when the ami
mails went into winter quarters he wa
retained as keeper, and lived with hi
family in little cottage near by.
Scarcely a day passed that he did no
take his baby daughter to see the ami
mails, and they, according to their Gus
tom, grew so fond of her that ut he
coming most of them would make som
sim of pleasure. Only one, sullel
t brute of a jaguar, refused to max
= friends, and always flattened down hi
| ears and snarled when she was take
I before his cage. With the leopards, o
: the other hand, she was particular
, friendly, and they liked nothing bette
I than having her put her tiny han
j through the ba to pat and strok
, them.
Q The thought of putting her in tn
j cage with even the leopards had nevC
;. occurred to him, however, and probabl
it never woHld have had not the jaguy
forced it into his mind very suddenl
Y one day.
He had been cleaning the cages, an
the process being an unpleasant one
the iaguar, that ferocious beast was
such very ugly mood that the ms
thought it best not to anger him al
more by holding the baby before /
cage. Consequently, he hurried pa
the cross animal. and thereby failed
notice that the cage fastening was
a slipped that the door might easily
opened.
He had reached the leopards, a
II was holding the baby so that she cot
N reach through the bars, VIXEN he hea
light thud behind him, and looki